SILVER CITY — The first thing you notice about Ova Nunnelee is her strong presence, evident by the light in her eyes. The second thing you may notice is the gentle hint of her Oklahoma accent.

"It's a big part of where I grew up, so I guess it'll always be with me, no matter how old I get," the diminutive lady said with a laugh.
Nunnelee, who lives in Silver City, turned 108 on Friday, May 25.

Though she'll tell you she's "lived in lots of places" — Potter, Ark., where she was born, as well as Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico — she said she doesn't have a "favorite."

"I moved wherever we needed to for my husband to find work," she explained. Dewey Nunnelee, whom she married when she was 20, worked in the timber business. Dewey was a widower with two children, and he and Ova went on to have seven more children, moving their family around from state to state, living in timber camp housing which she remembers with fondness.

Dewey retired around 1960 and they moved to Antlers, Okla., where he passed away in 1987 at the age of 87. Ova then lived in New Mexico, first in Portales and then in Hobbs near a daughter, and moved to Silver City in 2001.

These days, Nunnelee lives with her daughter Juanita Tremble, 82, and her husband, Gene. She also spends time with her son, Lawrence, 85, and his wife, Pat, also in Silver City. Another daughter, Faye Kinnibrugh, 79, and her husband, Kenny, live in Hobbs, and her son James "JD" Nunnelee, and his wife, Berna, live in Elk City, Okla.

Advertisement

From her marriage to Dewey Nunnelee, who was a widower with two children, she also has a stepdaughter, Sybil Lorene, 94, in San Diego. And a stepson, Warren Edmond, passed away in 1965.

Nunnelee herself was the first born of eight children, four boys and four girls, and is the last surviving sibling.

She recalled her farm life upbringing fondly, from the age of seven years to 20. Her childhood was "a wonderful time," she said, simple and lived close to the earth.

"We had our own chickens, cows, our own hogs. We killed two to three hogs every year. Our vegetables, potatoes, corn, all that was what we grew ourselves." she said, her eyes gazing into the distance and a smile on her face at the memory.

Like many centenarians, she counts electricity as among the greatest changes she observed in the world over the course of her long life. But having lived through so much change on the world stage, her own home and hearth were first and foremost in her consciousness.

Her father got the family's first car when Nunnelee was 17 years old. Before that, it was horse and buggy or riding horseback, she said. She and her husband, Dewey, never owned a car, she said. Her daughter-in-law, Pat, emphasized the mileage Nunnelee's legs have logged, and laughed as she said, "Those feet have walked everywhere!"

Though rehabbing a broken hip — not from an injury but just "my parts wearing out," she said — Nunnelee still gets around with a walker these days. She credits healthy lifelong habits — never drinking alcohol or smoking, along with walking — among the secrets to her longevity.

Of the seven children born to Ova and Dewey, three died in their first year of life. "That was the hardest thing I've had to bear," she said, her sadness brimming up in her clear eyes at the memory, even all these years later. She credits her strong faith with getting her through those painful losses. A member of the Free Will Baptist Church since age 14 and active until fairly recently, she was a regular church-goer, always enjoying the church community's social functions and singing in the choir.

"My father was a deacon in our church," she said, "and he always led the singing, so I guess I got it from him."

She said "I'll Fly Home" and "We Will Gather at the River" were among her favorite hymns.

"Now, I just don't have my voice anymore," she said. Asked to sing just a bar or two, perhaps, she laughed a good-natured laugh and said, "Oh, no, I don't think you want me to do that!"

Counting up her still-growing family is something of a challenge for Nunnelee. At her daughter Juanita's house, with a handful of relatives gathered for her birthday party, her daughter-in-law, Pat, brought out a book the family has created to record and honor Nunnelee's long, productive life.

Leafing through the pages, Pat said, "We do know that a new baby (a great-great grandchild) has been added this past year, but we are still updating the records."

At last official count, Nunnelee had 22 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, 65 great-great-grandchildren — one of whom was born on her own 100th birthday — and one great-great-great-grandchild.

Though she'll tell you that her hearing and eyesight are not what they used to be, Nunnelee fondly remembers gardening and wishes she could still get around to plant and care for flowers, particularly roses.

Her daughter, Juanita, quickly pointed out that that is why her birthday cake will be adorned with icing roses.

"It'll be a marble cake," she said, pointing out how that should please both lovers of chocolate and vanilla, "with whipped icing and red and yellow roses. She's always loved roses and bright colors, too."

Asked what brought her the greatest satisfaction in her long life, Nunnelee is quick to answer, "My kids!" Daughter Juanita pointed out, all four of her surviving children have been married for more than 50 years.

"And that's something in this world," Nunnelee answered with a laugh. She was married to Dewey, "62 years, seven months and 11 days," she said, calculating carefully the milestone so important to her own life and memory. "I wish just the same for my own children — long lives and to just continue being happy, enjoying each other and their own families."

Donna Clayton Walter is a freelance writer living in Silver City, N.M. She welcomes your feedback and story ideas at donnatheiguana@gmail.com.

NEW YORK (AP) — Viewers said farewell to Amy Poehler and the gang of Pawnee, Indiana, bureaucrats on NBC's "Parks and Recreation," in a finale that made more of a dent online than on television. Full Story